California’s employment laws never stay still—and 2025 and 2026 are shaping up to bring even more compliance challenges for employers. One of the biggest new laws on the horizon is Senate Bill 294, better known as the Workplace Know Your Rights Act.
This new law adds major notice, training, and recordkeeping requirements for all California
As your small or medium-sized business grows, you’ll face more complex employment law questions. When those issues arise, one big decision often follows: should you hire an in-house lawyer, or rely on external legal counsel?
While having a lawyer on your payroll may sound convenient, many growing companies find the costs and responsibilities outweigh the
On October 16, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency jointly “.. announced the withdrawal of their interagency Principles for Climate-Related Financial Risk Management for Large Financial Institutions.”
This is a positive and, frankly, refreshing development, a rare instance of government appropriately narrowing its
This article continues our Friday’s Five series highlighting the major new California employment laws taking effect in 2026. In recent weeks, we’ve covered several significant bills impacting employers — from expanded employee rights and new recordkeeping requirements to pay transparency updates and workplace enforcement changes.
This week, we turn to Assembly Bill 692 (Kalra) —
Grounds and Areas of Protection Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code — Including Contractual Protections
Ontario’s Human Rights Code (the “Code”) protects people from discrimination and harassment in specific areas of public life based on personal characteristics, known as “grounds.” The settings where these protections apply are called “areas.”
Knowing these protections—and how they extend to contracts—is essential for both employers
It would be convenient if this were only a prospective conversation about the leases you are about to sign. It isn’t. Tens of thousands of existing leases (many with long renewal terms) are for premises that are subject to greenhouse gas disclosure and reduction laws already on the books and now being phased into effect.
Governor Newsom just signed Senate Bill 617 into law on October 1, 2025, expanding California’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (Cal-WARN) Act. As a reminder, the WARN Act requires employers to give 60-days’ notice before a mass layoff, plant closure, or relocation. In addition, employers must notify employees and both state and local representatives. This
As of October 1, 2025, minimum wage rates have officially increased in several provinces. Employers should review their payroll practices to ensure they remain compliant with the new rates and related employment standards obligations.
New Minimum Wage Rates
The following provincial increases came into effect on October 1:
What if the knowledge you already have could start earning you money right now?
Join Carolyn Elefant for a free 90-minute webinar on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 3 PM ET, and discover exactly how to turn your legal expertise into online income — without quitting your day job or drowning in tech.
The timing couldn’t be better. The online education
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